Our Approach

We work to narrow the opportunity gap that Latinas face by funding culturally-relevant programs that enhance Latinas’ productivity and earning power. To better understand what leads Latinas to finish high school and attend college, we conducted a study in partnership with the UCLA Civil Rights Project that identified factors that contribute to Latinas’ academic success.

Our research showed that access to high-quality math instruction, mentors and extracurricular participation – which helps Latinas develop a sense of “belonging” at school and keeps them on campus longer – positively correlates with higher graduation and college attendance rates for Latina students.

We’ve also engaged with academics and experts about the large body of research showing that parental involvement plays a major role in helping children graduate high school and go on to college. Such research guides our programs and influences our national efforts to better educate Latinas and improve their earning power.

Our areas of programmatic focus currently include parent engagement, mentorship, STEM education, microloans and business training for Latinas.

STEM Education

Technology jobs are among the fastest-growing, offer high salaries, and are available in virtually every community and sector. Despite making up 17% of US women, Latinas are only 2% of the computing workforce.

We believe Latinas represent an untapped talent pool to fill many future technology positions, which can make our country more competitive in these disciplines. Our research shows that when Latina students feel confident about math and their ability to succeed in the subject, it leads to higher rates of high school completion and college going.

Through various extracurricular programs and workshops focused on coding, robotics and making, we encourage young Latinas’ love of math and science from a young age.

To date, we’ve helped more than 1,700 Latinas grow their STEM skill sets. We also partner with TECHNOLOchicas, a multi-media campaign that underscores the critical need to acknowledge, celebrate, and raise visibility for Latinas in tech by focusing on the interests, strengths, and needs of the Latino community.

2117

Participants in our STEM programs to date

9

robotics competitions attended

41

Field trips to STEM organizations for real-world exposure

90%

Of Los Angeles participants say the program improved their grades in math & science

Parent Engagement

Latino parents often face additional barriers to getting involved in their children’s education in an effective way, whether due to language barriers, long work hours, financial constraints or being unfamiliar with the school system.

Our parent engagement programs help parents understand class requirements, how and why to set up meetings with teachers and guidance counselors, and familiarizes them with college application and financial aid processes. After three years of positive outcomes implementing the program in low-income, predominantly Latino neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, we expanded the parent engagement to Mexico City in 2015.

We’ve also piloted the use of cell phone “nudge” technology in the Los Angeles courses. Our platform allows course facilitators to engage with parents through a medium they are familiar with: text messages.

Parents receive automated messages that remind them about the next class or suggest talking to their child about his/her GPA.

65%

Increase in Los Angeles participants who report understanding the importance of SAT/ACT college admission exams after the training course

4337

Parent graduates from training courses in Los Angeles & Mexico City

20%

Decrease in Mexico City participants who report using beatings as disciplinary methods after the course

87%

Of Los Angeles subscribers said the program’s text message reminders helped them remember what they learned in the course

Mentorship

80% of Latinas aspire to attend college, but more than 1 in 5 drops out of high school and only 15% of adult Latinas hold college degrees.

Our research shows that extracurricular participation, which helps Latinas develop a sense of “belonging” at school, and access to mentors leads to higher graduation and college attendance rates for Latina students.

Our mentorship programs provide opportunities for Latina students to have greater contact with high-performing peers and professional women, in addition to experiences outside their (often) segregated, lower-income communities.

74%

Of Corpus Christi participants improved grades in their core subjects in 2016

1 1 1 2

Participants in mentorship programming to date

14%

Percentage by which Los Angeles participants’ GPAs exceed those of their peers not in the program

79%

Entrepreneurship

Despite facing an opportunity gap, Latinas lead the way among women of color in starting new businesses. In the past decade, the number of Latina-owned firms in the United States rose by 137%. Further, Latinas start businesses at six times the national rate.

By equipping Latinas with the capital and training they need to succeed in business, we can help them on a path towards income stability and growth. We want not only to have a positive impact on the Latinas we serve directly, but also to shape the national conversation about how best to support the growing population of Latina entrepreneurs.

To bridge this opportunity gap, we’ve established the Eva Longoria Foundation MicroLoan Fund. Through partnerships with LiftFund and ACCION San Diego, we provide loans and business training to Latina small business owners.

The fund is revolving so as entrepreneurs make payments, we redistribute the funds in the form of new loans, benefitting other Latinas in the community for ongoing impact.